The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Page 147

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 147

succeeded in settling the dispute. The chief asked
Gardiner to govern that part of the country in
which the English lived. Then Gardiner made
a visit to England and persuaded the Church Mis-
sionary Society to send a number of missionaries
into the promising field. But soon after his return
to Natal war broke out between the Zulus and the
Boers, and the promising mission was broken up.

Gardiner’s Wanderings.

In 1838 we find Gardiner in Rio de Janeiro.
From there he went to Chile to find an opening.
Not finding the desired opening, he next went to
New Guinea. But here he was also baffled. Again he
turned to South America, and this time he decided
to go there where the papal influence, which had
prevented him from gaining a foothold in Brazil,
Chile, and Argentine, was little felt. He went to
Terra del Fuego; but his attempt to gain the friend-
ship of the Fuegians were in vain. This induced
him to turn to the mainland, where he was gladly
received by Chief Wissale, the head of the Pata-
gonians inhabiting those parts. This encouraged
him to ask the Church Missionary Society for as-
sistance, but his appeal was not heard. After
a number of unsuccessful attempts to awaken the
sympathies of his Church, he succeeded in persuad-
ing a few personal friends to found a society which
would make it its aim to sustain a mission among
the Patagonians. This was the beginning of the
South American Missionary Society.

A Bitter Disappointment.

A company now set out for Patagonia, Gardiner
traveling at his own expense. When they landed,
they found that the natives had moved. The search
which was instituted proved fruitless. However,
they decided to erect the houses they had brought
with them already framed. Then they once more
went out on a search for the Indians, leaving one
back to guard the station. But after enduring
much hardship, they were compelled once more to
return without having found the Indians.

A few days slater Wissale and a number of
natives came to the station. But the chief became
very disagreeable and even threatening. Finally
the missionaries saw themselves compelled to leave
the mainland, and they decided to go to Terra del
Fuego. But when they arrived there, they were told
that they could not stay, and so, with a heavy heart,
Gardiner and his companions returned to England.
Gardiner had once more failed.

_Islands.

Gardiner Tries Once More.

Foiled Gardiner was for the time being, but he
was not defeated. He was more than ever convinced
that the Indians needed the Gospel. It took three
years before he succeeded by his persistence in per-
suading his society to fit. out another expedition to
Patagonia. After landing their belongings, the
little company, consisting of Gardiner and five com-
panions, found it hard to prevent the thieving
Fuegians from stealing all their belongings. Gar-
diner soon learned that he would need an outfit dif-
ferent from the one he had, and so he once more
turned back to England. After much urging he
succeeded in raising $3,500, to which he added

Allen F. Gardiner.

$1,500 of his own. With this money he got ready
for another voyage, for his desire to bring the
Gospel to the Fuegians and Patagonians had become
a passion with him. Nothing was able to dampen
his ardor. In 1850 he again started out with six
companions, among them a surgeon. They took
with them provisions for six months and had ar-
ranged that another half-year’s supply should follow

them at once. :
Disaster.

All their well-laid plans were to come to naught.
The committee was not able to find a ship that was

wwilling to go out of its course to bring the second

supply of food to Picton Island, where Gardiner
and his companions had gone. The best they could
do was to forward the supplies to the Falkland
Arrangements were made to have them
forwarded from there to their destination; but the